Kol Or’s Juneteenth havdalah in 2018.
Last summer, amid national protests against racism and police brutality following the murder of George Floyd, many Jewish organizations hosted their first Juneteenth events. This year, American Jews are making the holiday an annual tradition, and observing it in a myriad of ways from organizing Shabbat services, to hosting virtual panels to scheduling time for relaxation and reflection.
Officially recognized by 47 states and the District of Columbia, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The holiday, celebrated on June 19, marks the anniversary of the announcement of the Union Army’s General Order No. 3 in 1865, which delivered the news of the Emancipation Proclamation to some of the most remote parts of Texas. There, some enslaved people learned of their freedom nearly two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.